Berlusconi sentenced to four years

A court in Italy has given a four-year prison sentence to the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, for tax evasion.

Mr Berlusconi, who was not in court, is expected to appeal against the verdict, which arises from transactions carried out in his Mediaset business empire.

He has faced other court cases, but they have failed to result in convictions.

The BBC's Rome correspondent Alan Johnston reports.